 |
Going
Gold, Green and Global for 50th Reunion
There’s
a good reason why Smith’s Class of
1961 uses the symbol of a tree for their logo for their upcoming
50th reunion, with the tagline “Gold, Green, Global.”
 Nearly three years ago, the
class decided to support sustainability at Smith by focusing
on five areas in which their reunion class gift could help
improve the sustainability of Campus Center operations. Working
with Dano Weisbord, Smith’s
first director of environmental sustainability, and his successor, Deirdre Manning,
a phased list of projects was developed with a goal of $150,000 above and beyond
the class five-year Smith Fund goal of $1.75 million.
The committee’s co-chairs,
Nancy Eaton Smart and Sherrie Stephens Cutler, were joined by Sally Haines Dudley,
Louise Bartlett Franklin, Katherine Dyer Garcia, Ann Peck Hooke, Mandy Loutrel,
Alice Arnott Oppen, and Joan Callaway Pratt. Together, they comprise a “Green
Team” that has worked to reduce the college’s carbon footprint. The goals for
their gift are:
- Reducing energy consumption
by installing light sensors and programming controls
to maximize use of natural light and automatically
adjust the building’s light levels to meet varying
conditions.
- Purchasing and
installing meters and a large-screen monitor to track
and display energy and other resource use in the
building via real-time dashboards. Like the graphic
displays of gas mileage, seeing resource use makes
people more aware of their habits.
- Purchasing and
installing carefully sited and aesthetically pleasing
bike racks to encourage the use of pedal power on campus—and
beyond.
- Significantly reducing
the amount of disposables by purchasing commercial
dishwashers to enable use of durable dishware, and
increase storage capacity for non-disposables.
- Providing
high-quality, instructive recycling containers to
improve recycling rates on campus.
|
The
college has moved forward on each of these areas. An architect
has proposed redesigns for retrofitting the Campus Center
Café’s work areas; a dashboard software and format to reflect
real-time data has been selected; metering has been installed
and is collecting data; a bike rack design has been approved
and sites are being tested. An electrical contractor is installing “daylight
harvesting” light controls in three locations
in ceilings on each of the upper floors of the Campus Center.
The sensors will allow control of motorized lighting circuits
based on light levels, independent of the time clock controls.
This retrofit to use daylight
is expected to save 29,300 kWh per year, worth about $4,000.
Metering buildings brings behavioral changes that cannot
be as easily quantified but provide the basis for further
education and ultimate savings.
During Reunion, both scheduled
and self-guided tours of the Campus center will be offered
so that alumnae can see the results of one class’s determination to address a global
issue by supporting sustainability at their alma mater. |
|
